smart justice in the heart of kimberley

Smart Justice in the Heart of Kimberley

Contents

Acknowledgment of Country

Overview

Project Summary

Realities of the Communities in the Shire of Halls Creek

The Need For A New Approach to Justice

Driving Values

The Co-Design Process

Outcomes Framework

Olabud Doogethu Programs & Initiatives

Project Governance

Page 3

Page 6

Page 7

Page 9

Page 12

Page 13

Page 16

Page 19

3

We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of Australia, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. We particularly acknowledge the Kija and Jaru people, the traditional owners of the Country upon which the Shire of Halls Creek is located.

OverviewThe Shire of Halls Creek, together with Communities Balgo (Wirrimanu), Billiluna (Mindibungu), Mulan, Ringer Soak (Kundat Djaru) , Warmun (Turkey Creek), Yiyili, Red Hill, Mardiwah Loop, Yardgee and Nicholson Block, supported by Social Reinvestment WA, a coalition of NGO’s statewide, are leading Western Australia’s first Justice Reinvestment Site, Olabud Doogethu: Smart Justice in the Heart of the Kimberley.

Olabud Doogethu’ is a Kriol phrase that translates as “all of us together”.

Initiated based upon the principles of Asset Based Community Development, Justice Reinvestment, and Collective Impact; The Shire of Halls Creek Dept. of Community and Youth Development led an 18 month long community co-design process with each community, which resulted in a shire wide Outcomes Framework, and Individual Community Plans (signed by relevant Elders and leaders), which are owned and recognised by Kija and Jaru leaders and community.

Olabud Doogethu is an Aboriginal community designed place based solution to reduce incarceration, and provide better outcomes for the young people of Halls Creek and surrounding communities. Co-Design, Data Mapping, Justice

Circuit breaking for high risk young people, and transitioning to responding to underlying causes of offending with parents have been undertaken or commenced. It aligns with several emerging WA strategies, notably the Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy and Premier›s Priorities for Aboriginal Wellbeing and Youth Reoffending.

With backbone support from Shire of Halls Creek, governance from Elders and leaders groups, the OD Aboriginal Corporation, and community through continual co-design, it provides culturally secure end to end support for at risk individuals and families. Through a collective impact approach, expanding to more partners, and further collaboration across all levels of government and agencies we can overcome silos that prevent effective change. It is the most advanced Justice Reinvestment project in the state.

The overarching project goals are to:

Early Results:

Build better futures and opportunities for the people of Halls Creek, one of WA’s most disadvantaged regions.

Increase local capacity to achieve self management by Aboriginal communities in place; Self Determination.

Reduce Aboriginal Incarceration rates, Crime, and Justice System involvement for all people in Halls Creek.

Generate economic savings for the state, and local return on investment through reinvestment and job creation.

Inform research, evidence based models & approaches to Justice Reinvestment for public benefit.

In December 2018 Burglaries had doubled in Halls Creek since the previous year of 2017 as ‘lawlessness’ gripped the remote Kimberley town, one resident stating to the ABC

Since the introduction of the Olabud Doogethu project and Youth Engagement Night Officers Program, Halls Creek has successfully cut crime achieving a

“That they all grow up healthy, happy people and want to participate and give back to their community.”

— Michael Ogilvie, Halls Creek Active Communities Coordinator, Garnduwa

“It feels like Syria… like a warzone.”

90% local Indigenous employment for all Olabud Doogethu service programs

11 paid traineeships awarded to recent Halls Creek Senior High School graduates as a critical engagement in workforce and training opportunity.

Sources: WAPol crime statistics from Halls Creek Police; Employment Data from Shire of Halls Creek.

Supported community led

COVID-19 Responses

58% reduction in burglaries;

35% reduction in stolen motor vehicles;

28% reduction in stealing offences.

“The best part is that our crime rate dropped, you know? That’s the best thing that’s happened in Halls Creek, like earlier last year, it was like 20 kids going through the court system. It was real sad, because nobody showed them that it was wrong doing all this stuff. I think that’s the best thing because the crime for us has dropped for the kids. Most kids have started going to school because we’re out there at night telling them to go home for school.”

“I think it’s really good for us because the more Indigenous people employed, the more better our community will become. I think the Shire has done a good job for employing Indigenous people.”

— Dean Mosquito, Youth Engagement Night Officer

“I believe their role is a significant contributor to this reduction. [Additionally] when the YENO team are not working my officers report the street presence and anti-social behaviour of the youth increases notably”

— Dean Bailey, Halls Creek Senior Sergeant, Jan. 2020

“It’s very peaceful. The crime rate is very good, it’s very low. No more break-ins, no more stealing.”

— Rosemary Stretch, , Councillor, Shire of Halls Creek

Stages 1-3 of Co-Design occurred between November 2017 and August 2018, through community forums held by the Shire of Halls Creek in collaboration with the Bank of IDEAS in each location. The communities consulted were: Balgo (Wirrimanu), Billiluna (Mindibungu), Mulan, Ringer Soak (Kundat Djaru) , Warmun (Turkey Creek), Yiyili, Red Hill, Mardiwah Loop, Yardgee, Nicholson Block, Halls Creek town.

Stage 4 is a continual process, done in partnership with each community, local service providers, Social Reinvestment WA, and led by SoHC and the Olabud Doogethu ACCO.

• The establishment of the Youth Engagement Night Officers (YENO’s), which upon its introduction in May 2019 saw offences in Halls Creek drop from 138 to 44 in one month. (WaPol Monthly Crime Stats., 2019)

• Establishment of program by the Shire to provide a guaranteed 12 month paid traineeship for every high school graduate in the Halls Creek region, of which 11 have begun, to combat extremely high drop out rates.

• The employment of Learning on Country Coordinators (LOCC’s) in 3 remote communities to lead development of culturally secure youth rehabilitation and alternative education models.

• Local Community Navigators employed to lead communities implementation of their Individual plan;.

• Development of the Learning on Country/ Alternative Education Program as a critical initiative to re engage young people in education, and divert young offenders.

• Providing free entry into the Halls Creek Swimming Pool to improve community health outcomes.

• Olabud Doogethu Intensive Case Management Team, delivering end to end case management and clinical social work support to the most at risk young people, in partnership with Dept. Prime Minister and Cabinet NIA.

• The employment of Aboriginal Parent Support Team Workers in partnership with Dept. Communities, to do outreach support to struggling families identified through OD.

• Early Childhood Intervention Initiative delivering in partership with Wunan and Save the Children.

• Research in partnership with UWA to determine Culturally Secure Sentencing Model

• Building partnerships and inter-organisation cooperation to achieve OD community designed outcomes.

• Supporting Aboriginal governance & ownership through the Elders Groups and Olabud Doogethu Aboriginal Corporation.

• Ongoing Data, Impact, and Outcomes Measurement, to inform evaluations and continual Co-Design process.

phase1

phase2

phase3 Building New Pathways, Working Together to Solve Root Causes.

Circuit Breaking

Co-design | $46,000

| $1.6m

• Stage 1: Community Forums

• Stage 2: Determining Key Priorities in Each Location

• Stage 3: Finalising Community Plans

• Stage 4: Building Collective Approaches

Project Summary

| $1.9m

Realities of the Communities in the Shire of Halls Creek

Halls Creek has one of the largest youth populations per capita in Australia; 51% of the East Kimberley’s young people (10-19 years) reside here, and 43.2% of Hall’s Creek Shire’s population are under the age of 25 (ABS, 2016).

There is a sense of urgency due to the issues that are prevalent for youth within the Halls Creek Shire - including high rates of youth offending, youth suicide, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and instances of complex trauma. There is also significant poverty across the region.

These complex intractable issues illuminate a need to approach youth and communities development in a collective, community-driven methodology - compelling the Shire of Halls Creek to conduct an ambitious and innovative method of collaborating community interests, needs, and ambition through an extensive all-encompassing consultation process which will be outlined in the body of this work.

Olabud Doogethu is as a response to persistent Indigenous social, cultural and economic disadvantage and over-representation of young Indigenous citizens in the criminal justice system in this region.

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Unpublished Department of Justice Data

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of potentially preventable hospitalisations for kids Ear, Nose & Throat Infections are for 0-4 yr olds

75% HHOOSSPPIITTAALLIISSAATTIIOONNSS ––

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of hospitalisations for 0-15 yr olds are potentially preventable. These are for:

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1.6

The Need For A New Approach to Justice

Western Australia has the highest disproportionate rates of Aboriginal Incarceration in the entire nation. In 2019, 74 percent of the children and young people imprisoned in WA were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (Corrective Services, 2019). Aboriginal people are just 3.9 percent of our population (AIHW, 2017). Historical injustices such as Stolen Generations, wage theft, and other colonial policies have deeply impacted Aboriginal people in WA, socially, emotionally, and economically. Subsequently intergenerational trauma and entrenched disadvantage and poverty are experienced at significantly higher rates than for the non-Indigenous population. Poor life outcomes associated with poverty are social determinants of crime.

Our prison system does not successfully rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders, with 38.5% of all offenders being sent back to prison and 45.3% to corrective services within just two years of release (Australian Productivity Commission, 2019).

This continual cycle of incarceration and reoffending fails to make communities safer in the long term. The justice system is also wildly expensive and growing. Adult and Juvenile Corrective Services costs close to $1 billion a year (DoJ Annual Report, 2018/19), and the incarcerated population has risen by 27% in the last 5 years to 6,908 people (DoJ Annual Reports 12/1318/19). Furthermore, most people involved with the justice system experience complex social dysfunction prior to involvement with the justice system, such as unstable accommodation, substance use issues, and mental illness. Providing treatment in the community is significantly cheaper than incarceration. Our siloed system of support is ineffective at enacting intervention ‘upstream’, to prevent crime ‘downstream’.

If the status quo remains, incarceration and costs will continue to rise without a marked difference in creating safer WA communities, or alleviating disadvantage to resolve the underlying causes of offending.

“It’s good the police are working with us, like that’s a good thing you know? I think the cops change their attitudes, instead of locking kids up and trying to help them first…”

— Dean Mosquito, Youth Engagement Night Officer

Justice ReinvestmentJustice Reinvestment: a form of preventative action on financing which provides funding and support to deal with the front-end, ‘up stream’ causes and social determinants of criminal behaviour (e.g. family breakdown, poverty, unemployment, lack of meaningful training and job pathways, drug and alcohol dependence, mental health issues etc.) rather than just focussing on the current and highly expensive consequences of incarceration.

The first phase of a Justice Reinvestment initiative involves data and asset mapping to –

identify communities with a high concentration of offenders;

assess the particular socio-economic issues facing those communities; and

discover, map and connect community and network assets and opportunities.

Justice Reinvestment originated in the US as a means for states with unsustainable prison populations to reduce their rate of incarceration and associated economic burdens, by diverting resources from the tertiary end of the criminal justice system upstream, where costs are significantly cheaper, to early intervention, prevention, diversion and rehabilitation. Texas saved $443 million over 2008/2009, and in 2012 closed a prison for the first time.

In Australia, JR has developed further. The town of Bourke, NSW has achieved recognition as the first place based, Aboriginal community led JR site, through the Maranguka JR Project in partnership with JustReinvest NSW. Maranguka Bourke is credited with cutting major offences by 18% and domestic violence and drug offences by 40% between 2015 and 2017. Justice Reinvestment was last year adopted as policy by the ACT Government.

In WA, Social Reinvestment WA is the key coalition of NGO’s working to support the introduction of JR, which we advocate is integral to reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal people in WA’s justice system.

SRWA recommends 5 key approaches to achieving healthy families, safe communities, & cost savings, using smart justice; Justice Reinvestment; Law Reform; Prioritising Cultural, Social, and Emotional Wellbeing; Inter-agency Collaboration, Evidence & Data sharing to create Holistic Responses; and Community Co-designed Place Based approaches.

SRWA is supporting communities who are working to implement these approaches, and thus partnered with Olabud Doogethu to ensure the project is effectively resourced, evaluated, communicated, and key learnings are disseminated.

Asset Based Community Development: mobilising and connecting the assets, strengths, capacities and contributions of communities and individuals, rather than just focussing their deficiencies and needs; and engaging them as co-owners, co-designers and co-producers of positive community actions rather than treating them just as consumers, clients and recipients of the programs and services of agencies.

Collective Impact is a framework and an intentional process for addressing complex social issues and opportunities through organised and committed collaboration.

It involves five key elements; namely-

Asset Based Community Development

Collective Impact Approach

ABCD has been critical to undertaking a true co-design, and is integral to upholding Self Determination, and building local capacity and resilience in the Olabud Doogethu project.

open and continuous communication among the partners; and

a ‘backbone’ organisation with allocated staff and specific skill sets to serve the entire initiative and coordinate participating organisations and agencies.

a common agenda, including a shared understanding of the problem and a joint vision and approach to solving it through agreed-upon actions;

collection of data and measurement of results consistently across all the partner groups, ensuring shared measurement for alignment and accountability;

a plan of action that outlines and coordinates mutually reinforcing activities for each partner;

“It’s more about opportunity - creating opportunities for young people and for the community… If we work together and be vocal collectively we are most likely to get things happening for the town and for us.”

— Darrilyn Gordon, SoHC Councillor

Driving Values

Working to support economic, political and social structures by “Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people” is a key value. Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) 2007, which establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world.

The Olabud Doogethu overarching philosophy is Indigenous inclusion to develop a realistic vision:

• Increase Indigenous access, choice, and equity in service design, initiative, and provision.

• Develop and implement, in partnership, innovative working models and programs that are responsible to the local situation and respond to best practice state and national guidelines.

• Implement social and justice reinvestment principles and strategies and enhance community safety and security for all.

• Continue to promote and support expanding employment and training opportunities for the recruitment of Indigenous employees and trainees by the Shire of Halls Creek.

Social and economic indicators consistently present Indigenous Australians as the most marginalised and disadvantaged people in Australia. Olabud Doogethu embraces a social justice perspective where distribution of social resources, opportunities and obligations, access and participation is equally available to all sectors of society. The Shire of Halls Creek is committed to challenging ongoing oppressive behaviours and attitudes and structural barriers, and aims to facilitate positive social change identified by Indigenous stakeholders, for the health and wellbeing of the community.

Olabud Doogethu is committed to enhancing the physical, social, emotional and economic safety and security of all residents across all the communities of this region. Due to the dire need for greater safety for children and young people an immediate emphasis is being placed on this age group. ‘Cultural safety and security’ is also essential in any work, service design or delivery that involves Indigenous people, thus prioritising and taking direction from the appropriate Indigenous authorities and advisors will be taken in accordance with the outcome of this process.

Aboriginal self-determination and self-management

Social justice social change

Community and Cultural Safety

“After being part of the local Halls Creek community for the last 20 years, I have noticed a shift in thinking from rebellion due to restriction, to a “’had enough, let’s fix this’” mentality which has resulted in local people being proactive in social change”.

– Darren Foynes, YENO, 26th June, 2019

The Co-Design Process

The proposed model and program of actions of the Olabud Doogethu Project is the result of extensive consultation that occurred in November/ December, 2017 and August 2018, with both community members from all the neighbourhoods of the Halls Creek township and the remote SHC communities, and the key agencies with responsibilities and commitment for community building and criminal justice in the Shire of Halls Creek.

The Olabud Doogethu Project co-design process was undertaken in three comprehensive stages in order to establish the exact youth needs of each individual location, to prioritise these needs in accordance to importance, and finally to nominate sustainable communityled strategies to address these needs. The Project is faithful to the Asset Based Community Development, Justice Reinvestment and Collective Impact schools of thought.

See the Co-design and Community Consultation and Inclusion Initiates Report for full details.

In the initial phase, the Shire of Halls Creek engaged each of the above locations and target groups in a series of community forums that were promoted through both electronic and physical means. The forums were presented as a means for community members to take leadership in the realm of youth development and attain ownership over future youth programs in the Shire of Halls Creek.

These forums took place in each respective location, with the team from the Shire travelling to each to engage community members face to face. This allowed for open discussion in an informal and comfortable setting. Sub-group meetings took place in Halls Creek, with forum members identifying their home location.

Throughout this stage, the priorities and needs of youth were identified by community members by discussing the following points:

Stage One: Community Forums

“The Olabud Doogethu consultation process has been fully led by local Aboriginal people for local Aboriginal people in each of the participating communities in this region. Community members and leaders got together to formulate specific plans for their communities. I applaud and congratulate them for their major investment in designing a pathway and plan for the future”.

— Margaret Glass, Shire of Halls Creek, Justice Reinvestment Forum, 15th May 2019

• What is working?

• What is not working?

• What needs improvement?

• What does this community need?

• What has worked before?

• What can you contribute?

From these discussions, it was apparent that community members were frustrated with previous program delivery and advocated for new Indigenous-led approaches. Among the major discussion points from each location was the need to counter existing problems with alternative solutions.

This was particularly evident during conversations around youth justice, education, employment and health. Despite different and unique ideas in each location on how to solve a problem, community members were unanimous in their passion for creating a positive future for their youth.

1

With the priorities and hopeful outcomes of the project established, the Shire of Halls Creek and Bank of I.D.E.A.S undertook the second phase of the consultation, focusing on determining the three top priorities for each respective location. These three priorities were designed to serve as the initial focus for each community upon initiation of the project.

This phase took place in July 2018 and once again comprised of visiting the respective locations and subgroups through advertised public forum meetings. This phase utilised a method of selection which allowed community members to vote for their most important priorities of the 12 identified.

Participants were given six votes each, and were able to put up to two of these votes on any one priority. Participants found this process inclusive and led to furthermore conversation on how these priorities could be achieved.

For sub-groups, participants identified their geographic residence in order to allow their vote to contribute to their community’s tally. Each community identified the following as their top three priorities:

No. people consulted:

84

48

65

69

65

17

23

42

103

28

Balgo: Suicide Prevention, Stronger Families, and Community Neighbourhood Building.

Bililuna: Suicide Prevention, Employment Opportunities, Stronger Families.

Mulan: Suicide Prevention, Stronger Families, Community and Neighbourhood Building.

Nicholson Block: Youth Safety, Youth Health, Leadership and Capacity Building.

Red Hill: Youth Recreation, Suicide Prevention, Community and Neighbourhood Building

Ringer Soak: Employment opportunities, Boarding School Support, Stronger Families

Warmun: Leadership, Employment Opportunities, Community and Neighbourhood Building.

Yardgee: Employment Opportunities, Youth Safety, Youth Health

Halls Creek: Alternative Education, Community Order Options, Youth Safety

Yiyili: Stronger Families, Employment opportunities, Youth Health

Stage Two: Determining Key Priorities in each Location

After analysing and breaking down discussions from the information provided in the forums, the following priorities were identified:

• Alternative Education

• Community Order Options

• Stronger Families

From this consultation phase, the Shire of Halls Creek also asked community members what principles they believed were core to the success of the youth project - and the operational realities of the youth environment. Community members also discussed the existing assets, organisations and services that could contribute to the project and what the final outcomes were aimed towards. The communities were also compelled to name the project based on local language and culture.

• Community/ Neighbourhood Building Initiatives

• Youth Health Initiatives

• Employment with the Australian Defence Force

• Youth Employment Initiatives

• Boarding School Support

• Youth Recreation

• Suicide Prevention

• Youth Safety

• Leadership/ Capacity Building

2

The third phase of consultation was conducted by the Shire of Halls Creek from August to January 2019. This phase consisted of visiting communities for a third series of forums in order to develop a personalised ‘Community Profile’. These profiles included the nominated three priorities, the nomination of concrete strategies on how each would be achieved, and what agencies, groups and individuals was responsible for ensuring they are achieved.

These profiles were completed during a third series of community forums. At this point, investment from community members in the project was well and truly established, with the Community Profiles serving as a plan of action into the who, what, when, where and why of each priority and the structure in which it would be approached.

Once completed, these plans were signed off by nominated community leaders to become the starting point for the Olabud Doogethu Project in each location - completing the initial three-phased consultation process.

Existing Assets and Services Mapping To design place based solutions, we need to know what assets and services currently exist in our community that can be engaged with, utilised, or improved to better meet our community needs. These assets and services can range from spaces and material resources, to leaders, volunteer organisations, community groups, and businesses, non-government and government services.

Data Profile: Determining a BaselineData across a wide range of socioeconomic indicators needs to be collated at the beginning of the initiative as a base point for measuring change as a result of our work.

Stage Three: Finalising Community Plans

Stage Four: Building Collective Approaches

3

4Outcomes Measurement Framework Creating an Outcomes Measurement Framework is essential to ensure the project is strategic, targeted and remains on track to achieve the designated outcomes and priorities.

Creating Collective Initiatives Whilst each community has determined their own most pressing priorities for transformation, we share overlapping areas we want to see change for our young people. Together, we can pool our resources and efforts to create shared solutions that respond to the most urgent areas of change.

Findings and EvaluationsBy undertaking robust data and outcomes monitoring, independent evaluation, and social and economic benefit analysis, our community and project can be informed in an ongoing process of what is working, what isn’t, and what we can learn from this to improve our efforts.

Ongoing Co DesignThe process of co-design is continual. We will keep engaging with the wider community both formally and informally, informing them of efforts, outcomes, and new data, and enabling them to direct and engage in the co-creation of Olabud Doogethu. This is critical to its success and sustainability.

Outcomes Framework

The Olabud Doogethu Project aims to engage local families and communities to provide the support and the environment, for their young people to thrive and experience meaningful and fulfilling lives. It seeks to focus on actions that simultaneously builds local community cohesion, capacity, leadership and infrastructure; tackles Indigenous disadvantage; and create local justice support opportunities that focus on diversion, rehabilitation and community based early intervention to create safer communities.

“I’d like to see peace right through the whole town of Halls Creek. I’d rather see those kids at school, I’d rather see those young men go to high school or boarding school where they could learn the lifestyle, you know? They think that everything might be the same, but it’s not. For the next generation, if we can set a good role model for them, they’ll follow you. We need to be that role model.”

— Rosemary Stretch, Shire of Halls Creek Councillor

The Project has identified six outcomes, all considered essential to create stronger communities and more resilient families and young people within the Halls Creek Shire and to dramatically reduce the number of local young people engaged in the criminal justice system; namely –

Localising solutions that address the underlying causes of offending and other social and employment challenges and opportunities.

Strengthening local communities and neighbourhoods through enhancing safety, local infrastructure and greater sense of community belonging, involvement, connection, trust, inclusion and mutual responsibility

Supporting families and young people by addressing the underlying issues that contribute to crime and social dysfunctional behaviours, and creating pathways that enable young people to experience healthy, happy and prosperous futures.

Improving the justice footprint through creating smarter diversionary options that capitalise on connections to country, cultural identities, Kimberley family networks and local community assets and networks.

Building community capacity through creating culturally relevant participation and development opportunities where local people’s unique strengths, capacities and contributions are respected, enhanced and utilised as a means to change, resilience, connection, safety and local leadership.

Developing collaborative actions that activate stronger partnerships, coordinated approaches, networking and integrated program delivery among local and regional groups and agencies committed to community building in HCS communities

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Outcomes Measurement is critical for determining the effectiveness Olabud Initiatives. We need to know what works, what doesn’t, and why, so we can continuously improve and share our learnings with other communities. This process is governed by our Outcomes Measurement Framework.

Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation

Ongoing Data Collection & Monitoring of Effectiveness

Data sets from service providers will be collected and analysed quarterly to measure if programs and initiatives are having the intended impact on socioeconomic outcomes. Self Determination will guide our data management, so the data is first and foremost owned by the community.

The data sets to be monitored will utilise CaseMGR Australia’s technology to easily generate measurement of social and population level outcomes relevant to the project.

Evaluation, Social Impact Assessment, Cost Benefit Analysis

An independent evaluation will be completed to determine its effectiveness at achieving the designated outcomes, and impact on the community. This should include both a social impact assessment, and cost benefit analysis. It will be undertaken with relevant experts in the field.

Research Partnerships

Olabud will partner with researchers and universities to contribute to broader insights and findings in the area, that will help build a community of practise and learnings for dissemination.

“I’d rather this program [Olabud Doogethu] be placed in different areas, not only in Halls Creek, but

out in different communities. Wherever they need. To see what’s happening in their township. Broome and Derby are a lot bigger than Halls Creek, but nothing is too hard if you get together and do what we’ve been doing here.

— Rosemary Stretch

Olabud Doogethu Programs & Initiatives

Current Projects

The Youth Engagement Night Officers provide monitoring and safety for Halls Creek youth and community members during the late evening and early morning hours.

Sourced from respected members of the local community. The team works during the hours of 9pm-4am nightly and walks the main business district of Halls Creek, engaging youth who may be on the streets during these hours. The Officers aim towards redirecting youth to a safe environment and then home whilst having conversations with them for the reasons behind their street presence. In this way, Youth Engagement Night Officers can identify every child on the streets late into the night.

Olabud Doogethu [OD] Intensive Case Management [ICM] under the umbrella of the Shire of Halls Creek hosts a unique service for ‘youth at risk’ referred by supporting agencies such as the Department of Child Protection and Family Support. Youth are engaged through a series of pro-social activities aimed at redirecting adverse behaviors and providing young people with an alternative to negative personal environments. Workers deliver brokerage and case management and include assessment, referral, care planning and casework to address the income, health, mental health, social support, housing, justice, education, employment and training needs of engaged young clients.

To create a viable pathway to employment and post school opportunities through a partnership with North Regional TAFE, the Olabud Doogethu Project and Kimberley Group Training, the Shire of Halls Creek is offering up to ten youth traineeships per annum. These traineeships are designed to provide comprehensive skill-sets, relevant work experience and a recognised qualification for Halls Creek Aboriginal school leavers.

Youth Engagement Night Officers

Case Management

Traineeship for School Leavers

Garnduwa, the Shire of Halls Creek and the Olabud Doogethu Project are entering into a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] to ensure an ongoing commitment to youth recreation in Halls Creek through the continued service provision of a youth facility and providing local employment options to deliver regular sport and recreational activities in Halls Creek township.

Sport & Recreation Partner: Garnduwa

The Certificate II in Cultural Knowledges is being developed in response to an extensive community consultation project. It aims to support Aboriginal students, who have been marginalized or disadvantaged by mainstream education and training, to explore the knowledge and skills required to participate in ‘two way’/’both way’ learning.

This program is for students identified as high risk by Aboriginal Elders and Leaders. The priority is for secondary school students (aged 14-17 years) to re-engage in their Halls Creek District High School activities, with a secondary focus for students to engage in a vocational training pathway. It is designed to assist students to empower and build personal confidence, by strengthening understanding and knowledge of culture, and to explore the impact it has on their learning. It will enable students to recognise and develop skills needed to participate in mainstream education and training, to explore and develop their identity, and strengthen community connections.

The Certificate II in Cultural Knowledges is being developed in response to an extensive community consultation project. It aims to support Aboriginal students, who have been marginalized or disadvantaged by mainstream education and training, to explore the knowledge and skills required to participate in ‘two way’/’both way’ learning.

This program is for students identified as high risk by Aboriginal Elders and Leaders. The priority is for secondary school students (aged 14-17 years) to re-engage in their Halls Creek District High School activities, with a secondary focus for students to engage in a vocational training pathway. It is designed to assist students to empower and build personal confidence, by strengthening understanding and knowledge of culture, and to explore the impact it has on their learning. It will enable students to recognise and develop skills needed to participate in mainstream education and training, to explore and develop their identity, and strengthen community connections.

International law establishes the basis of what our communities know in their hearts. They have the right to better treatment and better services, better outcomes. On their country, in their culture, they are tired of being asked, only to be ignored. But they need support on to set out the journey. Many services and programs in the past have failed, and our community will wait no longer. We will focus efforts into residents achieving self-determination and self-actualisation in all matters affecting their lives.

The department seeks to ensure funding spent on the community’s behalf delivers; that practices truly empower people to take charge of their own lives; while increasing Aboriginal controlled programs that incorporate their expertise and culturally secure delivery methods

On Track Alternative Education Project

Remote Youth Workers

Nothing About Us, Without Us Human Rights Department

The Olabud Doogethu Project advocates for the empowerment of the family structure as a means to provide positive solutions for youth issues such as street presence at night, youth offending and establishing positive peer influences. The Olabud Doogethu program employs a team of Youth Engagement Day Officers to ensure this empowerment can be achieved. Youth Engagement Day staff work in collaboration with the night team to identify those individuals whose night presence and anti-social street behaviour fall into a critical category.

Parent Support

Make A Change (FDV) ProjectDuration: 2 yearsProject Value: $404,470Current Funding: NilStatus: Upon Funding

The ‘Make A Change’ project works with families currently experiencing family violence to keep people safe from further harm, and break the cycle of intergenerational trauma through healing. It also builds capacity of community, leaders, and agency staff to strengthen Aboriginal family safety utilising primary prevention and the reformation of services.

Future Projects

The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive Early Years Strategy that is place based and community-led for the Outer Halls Creek and the Tjurabalan communities (Balgo, Billiluna, Mulan & Ringer Soak). The strategy will support the integration of early childhood, maternal health and child health, family support services with schools in a approach similar to the Australian Governments Connected Beginnings program.

The ultimate aim of the strategy is for all children to be school ready and transition successfully into school environment equipped for formal learning.

The Olabud Doogethu program is directly responding to the need for cultural based learning in Halls Creek and its satellite remote communities through the employment of a place-based Learning on Country Coordinators (LoC). The role includes the creation and implementation of cultural based activities specific to the location and language group in which the Coordinator is employed. These activities may include, but are not limited to, bush skills, art, dance, traditions and camping.

The LoC team are employed from local Aboriginal communities through a process that consults community members on who the correct person for the role may be.

Early Childhood DevelopmentDuration: 1 yearProject Value: $70,000Current Funding: $26,000Status: Active

Learning On CountryDuration: 3 yearsProject Value: $600,000Current Funding: $46,000Status: Upon Funding

Local Aboriginal Corporations are not designed or resourced to handle the volume of engagements and connect service providers with the right residents in a timely or culturally appropriate manner. Community Navigators will serve as an important referral resource and a central ‘clearing house’ about services and projects delivered in each community.

Community NavigatorsDuration: 2 yearsProject Value: $550,000Current Funding: $18,000Status: Upon Funding

The backbone team works together with the Olabud Doogethu Directors, Shire of Halls Creek, and Social Reinvestment WA to provide data, prioritise opportunities for action, and adapt to changing context and systems in the overall vision and strategy of the justice reinvestment project. It will also facilitate dialogue between partners, directly supports Directors, and coordinates the overall efforts.

Working closely with Aboriginal communities, this project seeks to implement preventative measures to address deaths in custody, police violence and racial profiling by transitioning to a culturally safe community justice system with community-led justice processes, and adequate legal and translator support.

First Nations Creations will showcase cultural products in the global marketplace, working closely with 16 - 25 year old Aboriginal Entrepreneurs. It is a social enterprise that will create local jobs in managing the complex marketing and customer service functions of ecommerce while supporting artists to meet the growing market demand for authentic and ethically sourced Aboriginal art.

This program will develop a virtual academy providing culturally relevant and sensitive educational resources to a majority of the young people that are not engaged with the traditional education system. Through free community wi-fi hotspots, this will address the lack of access to Internet infrastructure in many older Indigenous housing.

Backbone SupportDuration: 5 yearsProject Value: $3,100,000Current Funding: $132,500Status: Upon Funding

Community Justice SystemDuration: 2 yearsProject Value: $230,000Current Funding: $50,000Status: Active

FirstNationsCreations.comDuration: OngoingProject Value: $390,000Current Funding: $16,000Status: On Funding

Digital PovertyDuration: 3 yearsProject Value: $76,000Current Funding: 7,000Status: Upon Funding

“We work with the kids who prowl the streets and just like break-ins and stuff, but we help the girls… some girls go through stuff. So we just ask them if they’re okay and if they need anything or help at school, we can come to school and sit down with them.”

– Ethel Sibosado, Aboriginal Trainee, Shire of Halls Creek

Project Governance

With the goal of smart justice through justice reinvestment, the project will use asset-based community development to implement a placed based solution, and measure and evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative through a collective impact approach which will help inform other communities and services state wide.

See the Spirit of Collaboration and Statement of Intent for more details.

Olabud Doogethu (OD) is currently backbone supported by the Department of Youth and Community Development, at the Shire of Halls Creek. Jaru, Kija, Kukatja, Walmajarri, Gooniyandi and other Indigenous people who live in Halls Creek Shire remain the traditional custodians of the land. The majority of Shire Councillors identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and the shire employs a significant Aboriginal workforce. OD seeks to develop and implement, in partnership, innovative working models and programs that are responsive to the local situation and respond to best practice state and national guidelines.

This project brings together remote communities across the region including Balgo, Billiluna, Mulan, Ringer Soak, Warmun and Yiyili; as well as the town of Halls Creek and the surrounding four community cultural groups Yardgee, Nicholson Block, Mardiwah Loop and Red Hill, each representing unique respected Elders and cultural practices. One size does not fit all in this municipality, as such, approaches to civic and social development need to be inclusive of and responsive to this diversity not only in Halls Creek but across the entire Shire regional area. OD project is working to highlight and implement capability to work along-side, or resource/broker Aboriginal lead services across multiple communities seeking out their direction and input in the key issues that impact their communities collectively and separately; as exampled by the OD co-design.

Olabud Doogethu Aboriginal Corporation was established and registered with ORIC in 2019, as the only youth specific focused Aboriginal Community Controlled organisation in the region. The SoHC has committed to supporting the organisation as it sets and transitions to leading in this area, with a 5 to 7 year plan. See Olabud Doogethu Aboriginal Corporation documents for more information.

Olabud Doogethu have partnered with Social Reinvestment WA to support the ongoing establishment, promotion, and evaluation of the Olabud Doogethu project within Halls Creek Shire. Both groups share the vision of building communities rather than prisons, and reducing offending and Aboriginal incarceration rates in the Halls Creek area, whilst fostering a positive sense of live-ability, aspiration and sustainability within communities.

.“What drove me to applying for council, there wasn’t younger representatives, so you had a lot of great older leaders - however they wasn’t anyone that could fit that advocate for younger people and really share what young people want and how we can work together with our elders and senior leaders to make things happen for young people, for younger generations and for generations to come.”

“It’s time for change. Leadership shouldn’t have to be just older generation people. We are the next generation of leaders.”

“You start seeing all these ideas to problem solving and being able to think of solutions, then you get a lightbulb moment where it’s about action. It’s great talking about all these things but you need to be able to back it up by doing something.”

“You wake up every day and you feel you’ve got a purpose. And my purpose is spreading the word for leadership.”

— Darrylin Gordon, Youngest Council Member, Shire of Halls Creek

Olabud Doogethu is an initiative of the Shire of Halls, in partnership with 11 Aboriginal communities.

www.olabuddoogethu.org.au

Social Reinvestment WA is a key partner in the project, and has supported them in developing this prospectus.

www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au

Graphic Design was completed by DropIn Solutions.

www.dropinsolutions.org.au

http://www.olabuddoogethu.org.au

http://www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au

https://dropinsolutions.org.au/

smart justice in the heart of kimberley

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